A national treasure

"The major patrol is about monitoring the activities of wildlife, such as the golden monkey, and carrying out protective measures for them," says Yang Zhenghai, a team leader of the rangers.

For example, during winter, food is in short supply for the primates, so no stone is left unturned to ensure they stay within areas that contain food, moss and thorny bamboo.

Rangers have to conduct at least three patrols a month, each lasting for three to five days.

In addition to taking care of rare plants and animals, rangers need to keep an eye out for illicit expeditions, such as off-the-books tourism and hunting events, which could pose a threat to local ecology and the visitors themselves.

Yang still remembers how a stray traveler was stranded and on the verge of death after sneaking into the depths of the woods.

"Those untapped areas are not usually covered by a phone signal and the fickle mountain climate can easily catch you unawares," Yang says.

To minimize human interference in the ecology at Fanjingshan, the local authority has relocated residents and put a cap of 8,700 on the number of daily visitors.

At the same time, the mountain administration has worked with research institutes to study local water, climate and biodiversity to better protect the ecology.